The invention relates to a communication method of a real-time data exchange in a collision detection-based communication network, e.g., the real-time Ethernet where a real-time data exchange is undertaken deterministically, for example predictably, via a conventional Ethernet network.
Such a system is known for example from International Patent Application WO 00/03521, in which corresponding middleware between the user program and the Ethernet protocol prevents data collision during real-time data transmission. One of the disadvantages of this method, however, is that this middleware must be available in each network node.
A solution is proposed in United States Patent Application US 2001/0002195 A1 in which device adapters are placed at the periphery of the network to which specific time slots are assigned within which these devices can then exclusively send data packets. This, however, leads to low use of the resources.